Weekly report: Iran’s Parl. debates on Rouhani cabinet

August 20, The Iran Project – Ayatollah Mahmoud Hashemi Shahroudi appointing as new head of Iran Expediency Council, Pres. Rouhani introducing cabinet appointees to Parliament, Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces Major General Mohammad Baqeri visit to Turkey and meeting with senior officials and New ambassadors of Serbia, Austria and Uruguay submitting credentials to Iranian President dominated the country’s media outlets in the past week (Aug 14–Aug 20).

An Iranian court order has frozen the local assets of over 150 people associated with the BBC’s Farsi-language service, the British broadcaster said on Tuesday, the latest effort by Tehran to crack down on the service’s popular newscasts.

Turkey and Iran have agreed to boost military cooperation after talks in Ankara this week between the Iranian armed forces chief of staff and Turkish leaders, President Tayyip Erdogan’s spokesman said on Thursday.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu has warned that a plan by Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region to hold an independence referendum late next month will lead to “civil war” in the conflict-stricken Arab country.

Moscow, Tehran and Ankara, as well as other participants are ‘actively preparing for the sixth high-level international meeting on Syria’ in Kazakhstan capital, Astana, the Russia Foreign Ministry announced.

Japan’s biggest oil and gas explorer Inpex Corp might participate in a tender to develop the Azadegan oil field in southwestern Iran and form a consortium with other foreign oil firms to that end, a high-ranking Iranian official said.